The Chosen One
by The True Heir of Hufflepuff
Summary: Neville enters the wizarding world as the Boy-Who-Lived. Befriending Harry and Hermione. Will he end up in Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw? Neville! BWL! Will he live up to the expectations of the wizarding world? And what has the Ministry of Magic been hiding?
1. The Boy who Lived

Before I begin this story I would like to say I am righting this because of my love for the Harry Potter series and also because I like writing stories. Put both of these together and you get The Chosen One!

**I do NOT own the rights to the Harry Potter Franchise. Rowling still owns that. **For now at least.

I hope you enjoy the First Chapter of The Chosen One and feel free to leave any feedback!

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><p>The Chosen One.<p>

Chapter One: The Boy who Lived.

All anyone knows is, the young boy born at the end of July whose parents had defied Lord Voldemort three times put an abrupt stop to the reign of terror that Lord Voldemort had inflicted since the beginning of 1970.

It happened on the night of Halloween 1981. Lord Voldemort was seeking the boy that was born as the seventh month died. Word had spread that "Neither can live while the other survives…" Yet he had found his victim. Whose parents were known to be great witches and wizards of their generation. Such a shame that they stood in his way but they tried to protect the boy, their son, and they did.

Lord Voldemort strode up to the alluring, sleek cottage where the family was playing happily inside. It is said that the boy's father saw him first and warned his wife and child to escape while they could. It was his sacrifice that had given them a chance. As Lord Voldemort barraged his way through the door he was confronted by a great wizard but even he did not stand a chance against the great powers that Lord Voldemort held inside him.

Voldemort advanced treading over the body of his latest victim without the slightest care in the world. He was growing stronger with everyone he dropped and that's all he wanted, power. As he reached the stairs he heard the woman, obviously talking to her son telling him that everything would be okay, he would survive and make it out of this mess.

He never had any remorse and ploughed his way up the stairs to where he found the mother. Who was blocking the view of her innocent child. She fought valiantly against her attacker only to be prolonging the inevitable. With one loud shriek and a last glance at her child she fell to the floor.

This was all too much for the boy to handle. He couldn't have been over 18 months old and yet he had witnessed his mother's murder. The feeble child had started to cry as his mother laid on the floor in front of him. The shadowy figure had then gone after the boy, who had sat in his cot throughout the whole scene was now sitting at the end of the Dark Lord's wand.

As the man told this famous story, he told them that this is where it got mysterious, here lie the unanswered questions that nobody has been able to explain. No one knows how he did it, but he did, he brought an end to this madness.

Voldemort uttered the last curse he intended to that night, never expecting what happened to have happened. Yet the Dark Lord could not be stopped by two exceptional witches and wizards that had stood before him. But the curse did not find its target to be the boy. Instead it rebounded and landed on Voldemort himself. No one knows where he went after that but all we know is the boy lived. He lived without being hurt from Lord Voldemort's wrath, he escaped with no more than a lightning scar on his forehead.

Although this is where the Dark Lord's reign had come to an end. The man kept telling this tale of what happened to the boy after this tragic yet inspiring event had occurred. Little did the boy know that his life had changed. Little did he know he was now famous.

The boy remained in his cot until a giant man covered in hair came to rescue him. This man picked up the scared boy and took him out of the now destroyed building. A blue motorcycle stood waiting outside. The man put the baby into the sidecar and got on himself. The child fell asleep instantly.

The man had been instructed to take the child to his closest family member that he still has and this is where he was going. As the bike landed down the small desolate street he was greeted by a friendly old man. Who took the sleeping child out of the giants hands.

"Thank you Hagrid" The old man whispered as he gently took him to the doorstep of his closest relatives. Hagrid was now in tears, this boy wasn't any old boy. He was a hero and now he had no parents.

Wizards and Witches would remember this day not only for the day the Dark Lord fell but also as the day that one of the most famous Wizard's name called out to the world. The old man stood next to the bundle of blankets on the doorstep. He stood there rooted to the spot for a few minutes until he finally said in a low whisper:

"The boy who lived, the chosen one, Good luck Neville Longbottom."

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><p>Well there we have it. The first chapter of what I hope to be a great book is complete. Did you like the plot twist that the chosen one ended up being Neville not Harry for a change? I hope so!<p>

Stick around for the second chapter to get a bigger understanding on how Neville's magical capabilities are formed and how he gets treated during life with his Gran. Will Neville get his invitation to attend Hogwarts as his family aren't as sure. They think after all he's been through he will turn out to be a squib and will not live up to his parents' legacy.


	2. The letter from Hogwarts

Here is the Second Chapter of The Chosen One! I've uploaded this chapter in quick succession with chapter one and three so there will be no reviews that I will get to leave feedback on but I hope you enjoy it! Don't forget to leave a favorite if you've enjoyed the story so far!

**I do NOT own the rights to the Harry Potter Franchise. J. still owns that. **For now at least.

I hope you enjoy Chapter Two of The Chosen One and feel free to leave any feedback!

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><p><span>Chapter 2:<span> The letter from Hogwarts

As Neville Longbottom grew up, his Gran (who he now lived with) always told him how much he resembled his mother, he had a round face with a short chubby build with short blond hair. His only unnatural feature was the small lightning-shaped scar on his forehead that he had got during the attack that caused him to lose his parents. During his youth he was often called Buck-toothed which he never liked but the name seemed to follow him like a shadow.

Neville was always the clumsy, shy and forgetful kid and his low self-esteem didn't help him. He always tried his best at everything but always pulled up short compared to everyone else. Everyone thought he was the dumbest kid around as he could never pick up on anything educational. His Gran thought to no surprise he was a squib showing no magical potential when he was younger no matter how hard his family tried to force it out of him.

Uncle Algie however was particularly fond of trying to scare the magic out of him. Uncle Algie once pushed Neville off of Blackpool Pier to try to scare the magic out of him, with no success his great-nephew almost drowned. On a particular day when Neville was eight. Uncle Algie felt like catching Neville off guard which resulted in him being hung upside by his ankles outside of window, when Neville's great-aunt Enid offered Uncle Algie a meringue, he accidentally dropped him out of the window in an attempt to grab one. To everyone's delight Neville bounced all the way down the garden until he came to a stop in the middle of the road. His Grandmother was crying tears of joy at how her Grandson wasn't a squib after all.

When Neville was ten (nearly eleven) he received his letter from Hogwarts saying his place at Hogwarts had been secured and he would attend the following September. His family was so pleased, his Uncle Algie even bought him a toad which he later called Trevor. His Gran was so pleased that Neville could finally carry on his mother and father's legacy and become a great Wizard that he was always destined to be. Neville was excited too, he hated the thought of him being a squib. Magical parents and you have no blood in your veins at all, it's embarrassing but it seemed to fit into his personality perfectly. After all he was always the odd one out.

A few weeks later, the calendar read "30th July 1991" Neville's 11th Birthday! Neville like all other kids loved his birthday. The excitement of it all, the family, the cards and even the presents! After an hour of opening presents and cards, he had one present that he loved over all the rest. His father's wand. After the tragic event ten years ago this was all that Neville had that reminded him of the great Wizard that his father, Frank was, it reminded him of his bravery and how he stood up to Voldemort to save his life. Neville loved the present, it was the best one so far!

As September 1st drew closer, Neville and his Gran were planning to go to Diagon Alley in the upcoming days. He couldn't wait to get his Hogwarts robes, equipment and even his school books! Neville had read his acceptance letter over and over again. He remembered every detail of it which was surprising as he didn't ever remember much. He recited in his head:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Longbottom,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl no later than the 31st July.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall.

He was just so pleased that he had actually got in! After his whole life of thinking he'd be going to a muggle school as he was a squib but no, here he is with his Hogwarts letter! Obviously Neville's Gran had already sent her owl straight back to Hogwarts to make sure Neville got his place immediately. He had heard so much about Hogwarts from his Gran and it sounded wonderful. The magnificent castle, the fascinating classes and not to mention the beautiful great hall!

The days ticked down until Neville was going to visit Diagon Alley and now it was tomorrow, he ran through all the exciting things that were going to be there to his toad, Trevor. Who happened to be not at all interested in what he had to say he just sat there blankly croaking every now and then. But nothing could put Neville in a bad mood right now. He was a Wizard.

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><p>Well there we have it! We've had two short introduction chapters so far but from here on out the chapters will get progressively longer as we go along with the story so stick around to see what happens! Neville has now got his place in Hogwarts and in the next Chapter called Diagon Alley he will be finally setting foot it the Wizarding World instead of staying at home with his Gran! In the next Chapter we will get the first half of Neville's visit to Diagon Alley. Stay tuned to see what he gets up to!<p> 


	3. Diagon Alley

May I present to you, Chapter Three of The Chosen One! Starting Next Chapter I will start leaving feedback to any reviews I get as the first three chapters were all uploaded in quick succession but Chapter Four should have reviews if I get any.

**I do NOT own the rights to the Harry Potter Franchise. J. still owns that. **For now at least.

I hope you enjoy Chapter Three of The Chosen One and feel free to leave any feedback!

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><p><span>Chapter 3:<span> Diagon Alley

Neville woke with a start on a fine Saturday morning, the sun was shining through the curtains of his bedroom window and he was ready to start the day. No more waiting, no more dreaming, Neville Longbottom was going to Diagon Alley for the first time in his life! It was hard to tell whether Neville or his Gran were more excited to leave for Diagon Alley they were both excited. Neville was excited to get all his Wizarding equipment whereas his Gran was fascinated by the sheer fact her Grandson was growing up and walking the path she took some years ago.

The car journey to London was unimpressive as field after field went past with no signs of being close to London. Neville was fidgeting on the back seat not being able to sit still as the curiosity grew in his chest. Minutes past as hours and hours past as days. But all the travelling meant they were getting closer and closer to London. It was the perfect day to be outside in the sun as it was beating down on the old car as it sped along the roads.

Once Neville had arrived in London, he followed his Gran through the busy crowded streets of London, muggle after muggle was running in every direction, carrying briefcases, shopping bags and even babies. They came to an abrupt stop in front of an old rusty pub that had a sign hanging from one chain swinging back and forth reading 'The leaky Cauldron'. They stepped inside the ancient Wizard pub to see many people drinking all kinds of drinks, from wine to Butterbeer everyone seemed cheerful. Neville wasn't staying of course they crossed to the other side of the pub where the entrance to Diagon Alley was but as they made it three quarters of the way across the room. They realised every head was looking in their direction, in silence. It was as if the room had just been frozen and Neville was the only one that could move.

Then a man yelled from somewhere in the pub "Bless my soul… It's Neville Longbottom!" As if on cue the whole pub erupted into noise and everyone was craning to get a look at the Boy who Lived. In an instant Neville was shaking everyone's hand, from big to small, from smooth to wrinkly and from clean to dirty. Neville must have shaken everyone's hand at least twice before he managed to escape to the exit. Now he was facing an old, battered brick wall. He had heard all about this wall from his Gran when she told him about her first time to Diagon Alley. She tapped the brick that was three bricks up and two across from an old dustbin that looked as if it had never been used but it was still old and destroyed. At that moment the wall started to retreat revealing the excellent Diagon Alley.

It was more magnificent than Neville had ever imagined. The cobble path led straight down the alley from the Brick wall and as far as Neville could see there were shops in every direction. As they started walking to the alley Neville's head twisted in every direction looking from shop to shop where he saw all sorts of Wizarding items. From Parchment and quills to Spell Books and Potion Bottles. Their first stop in Diagon Alley was supposed to be Gringotts, The Wizard bank but as they walked down the alley they got side-tracked by a small shop called 'Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour'. As they stepped in the Ice Cream Parlour they were greeted by several flavours of Ice Cream including Vanilla, Chocolate, Butterbeer and Bacon Walnut. Neville got a ButterBeer ice cream covered in Chocolate sauce with chopped nuts on top.

They continued to walk down the street towards Gringotts at the end of the alley whilst walking Neville checked his list of school equipment again to make sure he didn't miss anything out this time. The Letter read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (Black)

One plain pointed hat (Black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (Dragon Hide or Similar)

One winter cloak (Black with silver fastenings)

Please note that all student's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

By Miranda Goshawk

A history of magic

By Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory

By Adalbert Waffling

A beginner's guide to Transfiguration

By Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

By Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions

By Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

By Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A guide to self-protection

By Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 Wand

1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BRING THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

By this time they had reached Gringotts. The tall, magnificent, snowy, marble building stood before them. Towering over any other shop that was lining Diagon Alley. At the top it read 'Gringotts'. Neville and his Gran walked up the marble staircase and was greeted by a small wrinkly wise-faced creature. That Neville knew were Goblins as he had heard about their brilliant minds protecting every Wizard's bank in the world. The Goblin bowed them inside at the grand double doors slowly yet silently opened.

They were welcomed by a sumptuous hall, lined with desks that were crowded with Goblins working hard at each one. As Neville look up he realised the ceiling must have been at least a hundred metres up. With luxuriant stained glass dome-shaped windows at the top. At the very end of this hall sat a very old looking Goblin. Wisest of them all sitting at the main desk. This Goblin wore round glasses that sat at the very end of his long pointed nose that made him look very malicious. He had very long fingers that curled around the top of his desk and when he opened his mouth to speak it revealed a long row of small, yellow pointy teeth.

"Name?" Called the Goblin

"N-Neville, N-Neville Longbottom sir" replied Neville looked a bit uncomfortable

The Goblin grunted and between coughs asked "Key?"

This came to a bit of a shock to Neville, the first person he had met today that didn't have any interest in him whatsoever, well I guess he's not really a person. Maybe Goblins don't know anything that happens in the Wizarding world.

"I know who you are" The Goblin retorted as if reading Neville's mind "I'll fetch a Goblin to take you down to your vault" He said as Neville's Gran handed the Goblin the key.

A few minutes later the Goblin returned accompanied by another "Griphook, take Mr. Longbottom to his vault"

The Goblin groaned and walked off. Neville assumed he should follow as he did. The Goblin, Griphook took them to a small railway system that was sitting at the edge of the hall. Neville jumped in with his Gran. He had never been a fan of rollercoasters as he didn't like being thrown around, it made him feel sick. After all, he should be used to it Uncle Angie threw him around all the time without the slightest care in the world.

As the air rushed through Neville's hair he could feel his ice cream wanted to resurface but he held it down but clung to his Gran. Twist and turn, left then right, up then down. The cart seemed to go in every direction is if navigating its way through a maze. They suddenly lurched to a stop outside a big, dusty vault.

Griphook got out and immediately yelled "Lamp please"

Neville's Gran handed Griphook the lamp as Neville clambered out the cart on all fours, going a nasty shade of green.

"Key please" echoed the Goblin

As the vault finally swung open Neville's face seemed to go instantly from green to pink. Sitting in his vault were piles of Galleons and at the side a few stacks of Silver Sickles and Bronze Knuts.

"Your parents left you their money, this here has been here for ten years". Neville's Gran told him

Neville could only gape. This was all his! He could buy whatever he wanted. He grabbed a bit of everything and threw it into a small sachet he carried to hold his money. Once it was fairly full. He turned back around and groaned when he saw the cart.

"Is that the only way back up?" he moaned.

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><p>Did you enjoy Neville's first trip to Diagon Alley and Gringotts Wizarding Bank? If so leave a Favorite it would be greatly appreciated! In the next Chapter Neville purchases all of the required equipment for going to Hogwarts but he always hears about dangers that the Ministry of Magic are trying to hush up. Will this pose a threat to Neville and his time at Hogwarts? Find out by reading Chapter Four: Madam Malkin's!<p> 


	4. Madam Malkin's

Thank you to everyone that has reviewed my 'The Chosen One' so far. I really appreciate all feedback whether it's constructive criticism or you're giving positive feedback.

Thank you Tonks123478, I'm glad you like it so far and hope you'll continue reading throughout the series!

**I do NOT own the rights to the Harry Potter Franchise. J. still owns that. **For now at least.

I hope you enjoy Chapter Four of The Chosen One and feel free to leave any feedback!

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><p><span>Chapter 4: <span>Madam Malkin's

The sun shone in Neville's eyes as he left the Wizards bank, after being down in the dark, gloomy vaults for all that time. Now he had all the money he could ever want clanging around in his pocket. Diagon Alley seemed a lot busier now than it had been before they went into Gringotts, Wizards of all ages were walking this way and that way, hurrying to get their equipment before it was too late. As Neville and his Gran walked back up the cobbled path. They stopped in many shops including, Flourish and Blotts, Potage's Cauldron shop and Amanuensis Quills.

While Neville was in Flourish and Blotts he had a look around whilst his Gran ordered his huge list of school books for his first year at Hogwarts. He was quite fond of a book called Herbology: Magical and Mundane Plants. As he read the book, he learnt all about Aconite and how some witches used to add it to Belladonna to make themselves fly. It was also extremely poisonous. He also read about Bubotubers, they looked like thick, black, giant slugs. Bubotubers had large shiny swelling on the side of it that were filled with a yellow-green pus that oddly enough smelled like petrol. The pus of a Bubotuber always acted oddly when in contact with human skin. It would raise horribly painful boils if undiluted, whereas if it was properly diluted by a skilled Witch or Wizard it could be made into a cure for acne. Most people would find this book unnerving but Neville found it fascinating. He couldn't explain it but he always had an interest in Herbology. He just understood the information that he never could in any other subject. He bought this book along with all his other school books and paid at the till.

"Three Galleons and Eleven Sickles please"

Neville paid and this made no dent in the money Neville had in his pocket. Still clambering about he left the shop. After a bit more looking around he eventually left Amanuesis Quills, which was right next to Madam Malkin's robes for all occasions. Neville's Gran went up the street to buy him a present from a shop that was just up the alley. She wanted to give him a present for a reminder of her while he was at Hogwarts. As Neville stepped inside Madam Malkin's shop she greeted him with a wide smile. She was a small plump witch, she was quite old and was dressed in a purple set of robes.

"Hogwarts dear?" she said "Got the lot here in and out students have been today"

Neville was led to the back of the shop where the fitting room was. He was stood on a stool while Madam Malkin pinned his robes to the right size. He wasn't alone, there was a boy being fitted on the stool next to him. He had a pale, pointed face and overall didn't look very nice.

"Did you read The Daily Prophet today" Madam Malkin asked the younger witch that was fitting the other boys robes.

"No, what happened?" the witch asked rather concerned.

"A poor old Wizard died yesterday, the circumstances were really quite terrible.

The younger witch looked curiously at Madam Malking and Neville was listening with close intent. A wizard wouldn't have been in the daily prophet just because he had died he thought to himself.

"The Wizard was out camping with his family up north when they were attacked. But it wasn't just any old attack, his wife described it as 'a floating Black Cloak that was gliding across the ground. Apparently there was no one else there. Just a flying cloak and her family. As the shadow got closer and closer it started wrapping itself around the young wizard. They tried everything to stop but it suffocated him. Before gliding away. His wife said that it grew in size after it took her husband's life and then just disappeared without attacking anyone else.

"That's terrible!" she almost yelled back "Do you think it was some sick Wizard trying to lay a trick on the poor family"

Madam Malkin suddenly went stern as she carried on pinning Neville's robes to the perfect size "I'm not sure but whatever it is, I think the Ministry is hiding something from us."

There was now a lump in Neville's throat as the conversation ended. A flying black cloak had been in a forest suffocating innocent people? What if it wasn't going to stop there, what if it carried on attacking other wizards and witches?

At that moment, the boy next to him started speaking "Strange, isn't it? Sounds like someone's trying to be funny." This concerned Neville as the boy didn't seem to have the slightest care in the world about how this man died or even what could have killed him.

"After this I'm going to drag my father off to look at racing brooms" he droned on "I don't see why first-years aren't allowed to bring brooms to Hogwarts. I know I'm better than most seventh-years at Quidditch. I'd be perfect for the house team."

Neville didn't really feel much like talking. He really wasn't much of a sociable person but it was rude if he didn't try to make conversation so he replied "Where is your father?"

"Oh he's down Knockturn Alley at the moment" Neville had heard about Knockturn Alley it was a small side alley off of Diagon Alley that was full of Dark shops with items that only Dark Wizards would want to get a hold of. Coming to think of it the boy had blond hair that was combed back, he had a pointed nose, he didn't care about anything going about anyone other than himself and his father was in Knockturn Alley. This young boy could be one of the Malfoys.

"Know what house you'll be in when you get to Hogwarts?" asked the blonde boy "I know I'll be in Slytherin, all my family have been. Imagine being put in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you.

Personally Neville didn't think there was anything wrong with Hufflepuff, he'd much rather be in Hufflepuff than Slytherin but that might be because he knew he'd be in Hufflepuff. He'd never been very smart at anything except Herbology which means he wouldn't be a Ravenclaw. He also wasn't very brave, he'd wimp out of anything so he wouldn't be a Gryffindor. That left Hufflepuff and Slytherin and Neville had never really been a bad kid so he assumed he wouldn't be a Slytherin either. He'd heard Hufflepuff is where they put all the losers that weren't good enough to go in any other house. Neville thought he'd fit in perfectly. After all he's always been behind at everything and always messed up no matter how hard he tried. It just seemed Hufflepuff was the perfect house for him.

"You aright there?" the boy said in a cold drooling voice. His accusation to his family always being Slytherin had definitely confirmed to Neville that he was a Malfoy. "You look like you're about to faint."

"All done" said Madam Malkin and Neville couldn't have been happier that he could get away from the boy. He paid and whizzed outside. His Gran was waiting outside for him and now they had got everything they needed from his school list. As they walking back up Diagon Alley Neville was very quiet. He didn't feel much like talking. After all, everything he'd heard in Madam Malkin's robes for all occasions was stuck in his head. The Malfoy kid, The daily Prophet, The fact he was going to be a Hufflepuff and what Madam Malkin had said about the ministry of magic trying to hide the full story from everyone else. Which means whatever killed that man must be dangerous and they don't want everyone to be panicking about it.

As Neville and his Gran were in the Leaky Cauldron eating dinner. His Gran got the hint that something was wrong. After she asked what was wrong and he explained the full scenario to her. She looked stern and a little worried as if she remembered something from her youth that might have linked to the situation concerning the Daily Prophet but she wasn't completely sure.

As Neville pressed on "Madam Malkin said that the ministry of magic were hiding something, something that they didn't want us to find out about. Or at least not yet anyway."

She reassured Neville "If this thing was posing a danger to any of us the ministry would have at least warned us. They wouldn't let some lunatic Wizard go round and suffocating people with a cloak. The ministry must have either caught the person behind it or are very close to doing so. There's no need to worry about it"

"But, what if…"

"No ifs no buts, there's nothing to worry about Neville, it was just one small attack and now they're paying for it"

Neville was still concerned and wasn't going to let this go that easily. Instead he moved on to keep that conversation for another time. "Everyone says Hufflepuff is the house with all the outcasts, the losers and I know that I'm going to be in Hufflepuff" Neville admitted sadly to his Gran.

Once again his Gran was always there to cheer him up "Even if you're in Hufflepuff then they would have gained an excellent student. You're not an outcast and if the sorting hat puts you there then we know that Hufflepuff isn't full of them. Hufflepuff has produced many great Witches and Wizards as well as any other house like Bridget Wenlock and Newton Scamander. Both of which are famous to this day. They're not outcasts so why does that mean you are? You don't even know that you'll be a Hufflepuff yet"

After this Neville seemed to have definitely cheered up, he now only had a few weeks until he was going to be on his way to Hogwarts and then he could learn all kinds of magic and become a great Wizard. None of the concerns that Neville had in Madam Malkin's were affecting him anymore. He knew that he had nothing to do with the Malfoy boy and he wouldn't have to talk to him again. He also realised that Hufflepuff just had a bad reputation. It wasn't what everyone said it was as they didn't look at the great Witches and Wizards that the house had produced over the years. He also didn't care about what The Daily Prophet had been saying as his Gran had reassured him that the matter had been taken care of by the Ministry of Magic and he knew that the flying black cloak would never affect him.

As the next few days went past he marked the days down on his calendar as he drew closer and closer to the first of September. He had read his Herbology books over and over again making sure he was prepared for when he got to Hogwarts. His trunk was packed at the end of his bed and now all he had to do was wait and mark the days as they went by on his calendar.

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><p>So there we have it! Neville is now fully prepared to start his journey to Hogwarts. The next Chapter will play out on September 1st. The day Neville catches the Hogwarts express and another wizarding mode of transport! Find out what Neville gets up to in the next Chapter: September 1st. Will he make friends? Will he fit in? Or is there even more mystery than Neville thought going on in the Wizarding World?<p> 


	5. September 1st

Thank you to everyone that has reviewed my 'The Chosen One' so far. I really appreciate all feedback whether it's constructive criticism or you're giving positive feedback.

Thank you The Fifth Founder of Hogwarts, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far and here is the next Chapter! Enjoy! ;)

**I do NOT own the rights to the Harry Potter Franchise. J. still owns that. **For now at least.

I hope you enjoy Chapter Five of The Chosen One and feel free to leave any feedback!

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><p><span>Chapter 5:<span> September 1st

Today was the day that Neville Longbottom had been waiting over eleven years for, and now it was finally here. His Gran woke him up to six o'clock for the big day. Neville had to be at Kings Cross Station before eleven o'clock, the exact time The Hogwarts express left. Neville realised how far away from London he lived and wondered how they were possibly going to get to London in that time. Neville put on Muggle clothes as he was going to Kings Cross, he didn't want to walk through a muggle city wearing his Hogwarts uniform. As his gran rushed him out of this house carrying his trunk. Neville started to worry. His Gran must have thought they were running late too since she was running around everywhere. It was now eight o'clock when they finally got everything together. Three hours to get to Kings Cross Station! It wasn't possible! As they darted out the house carrying Neville's trunk. He was consistent in asking his Gran why they weren't taking the car to Kings Cross but she didn't reply.

They managed to walk three streets when Neville yelled "Trevor! I forgot Trevor!" After running all the way back to get Neville's toad they were seriously running late. They departed again and walked street after street until they came to an abrupt stop on a main road. Neville thought his Gran had given up. Maybe she admitted to herself that they would never make it to London in the two hours they had left. To Neville's surprise she whipped her wand out and pointed it to the other side of the road before returning it to her pocket. What had she done that for? They were on a main road with muggles driving past. She didn't even do anything just pointed it at the other side of the road. She just stood there without saying a single word as if what she had done was completely normal.

To Neville's surprise there was suddenly a huge purple bus sitting in the road next to them. One second Neville was looking at the old man walking down the other side of the road and within the blink of an eye he was looking at the side of a very tall purple bus. Neville counted that the bus was three storeys tall! Neville's Gran was now looking at the back of the bus as if looking at someone.

As Neville wandered over he heard a voice "Welcome to the Knight Bus! Emergency transport for a stranded Witch or Wizard! My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor for this morning! He read this from a small piece of cardboard. He looked like he wasn't particularly enjoying his job but he was there nonetheless. So his Gran's great idea was to take a bus to Kings Cross Station in under two hours. Neville had lost all hope that he was going to Hogwarts when abruptly he went flying back. Knocking the wind out of him he realised the bus was speeding through town after town. They were going to make it!

When they were dropped off at London about half an hour later, Neville felt as if he had just been back on one of the Gringotts carts. His head was spinning and he felt as if he was about to throw up again. He got a lot of weird looks from muggles as they walked past from businessmen to teenagers. Neville's Gran grabbed a trolley and threw his trunk on. They were still over an hour early but nonetheless they entered Kings Cross Station. Neville was quite shocked when he caught his first glimpse of the station. It was dirty, there was litter everywhere including crisp packets and still burning cigarettes. Neville had always imagined that Kings Cross would be some clean, perfect station with majestic trains taking you to magical destinations. But this idea was instantly shut down by the fact that no one seemed to care how dirty this place became. Neville and his Gran walked over to Platform ten. Neville had heard all about having to run at the barrier between platforms nine and ten and it sounded easy, but now standing here looking at it. It looked pretty solid. As Neville plucked up the courage to start running at the barrier he shut his eyes half expecting he'd hit the barrier even though he knew he'd go straight through.

When he next opened his eyes he saw a giant, scarlet snake-like train that went back as far as Neville could see. He had made it! This is where his journey would begin. His Gran came through seconds after he did and together they pushed his trolley down to find an empty compartment. It wasn't hard to find considering they were still an hour early they loaded Neville's trunk into a small compartment about three quarters down the train. What Neville did notice is Platform Nine and Three Quarters looked as how Neville had imagined it. It was clean, empty and overall just looked like how a train station should be. As Neville finished putting his stuff in his compartment he got back of the train to talk to his Gran while he waited for train to depart.

About five minutes later, Neville realised once again he had lost Trevor once again, Neville was frantically searching up and down the platform and in and out each compartment to no prevail. He couldn't find his toad and the longer it took the harder it got as more and more Hogwarts witches and wizards arrived on the platform and started filling up more and more space on the train. After nearly 40 minutes of searching he saw Trevor, he hopped onto the train and before Neville could get to him he had vanished. At least Neville had got one thing out of seeing him. He knew he was on the train.

It was drawing close to eleven o'clock so Neville said his final goodbyes to his Gran and he boarded the train. He stood at the window waving goodbye to his Gran. Things had suddenly gotten very depressing. He had never been away from his Gran for more than two days in the past ten years and now he was leaving for at least three months. As the train pulled out of the station he waved goodbye as the train turned the corner and Neville started his journey at becoming a Wizard.

He knew he couldn't waste any time, he had to find Trevor soon before he started scaring others on the Hogwarts Express. As he left his compartment two red-headed boys ran past. They were identical, must be twins, they were the same height, same facial features and ran pretty much exactly the same. As they whizzed past one of them shouted about a tarantula being on the train. Neville never liked spiders big or small, they were creepy. After about another half an hour of searching he became rather hopeless. As he trudged back to his compartment with a look of defeat on his face.

"What's the matter" said a friendly voice behind him.

"Oh, it's erm… It's nothing, I've just lost my erm… toad" he replied rather wearily.

"That's not nothing, I'll tell you what I'll help you find him!" The girl replied "I'm Hermione Granger and you are?"

"N-N-Neville Longbottom"

"The Neville Longbottom?" She asked questioningly "The one who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when he was a year old! You must be an extraordinary Wizard!"

"Actually, I hardly know anything about magic" He confessed, Neville liked Hermione she was kind and definitely knew how to cheer someone up.

"Ah, so modest! Let's go look for your toad"

Hermione was a lot braver than Neville was. She went into different compartments to ask if anyone had seen Trevor whereas Neville just peered through the window hoping that no one would see him and obviously to no success he didn't find Trevor. Hermione who had been searching the other end of the train came back with no success either. Neville had fully finished his end of the train so he followed Hermione as she started asking people.

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost one." Hermione asked "Oh are you doing magic? Let's see it then!" Neville waddled into view as the red-headed boy was about to do his magic.

_Sunshine, Daises, Butter, Mellow_

_Turn this stupid fat rat Yellow!_

A few sparks hit the poor rat that was on his lap but nothing seemed to change. The rat definitely didn't turn yellow.

Hermione now seemed to be in her element "Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good is it? Of course I've only tried to do a few simple ones myself, but they've all worked for me." Hermione whipped out her wand and let herself into their compartment. She sat down opposite the small Jet-black haired boy with glasses that had been quiet through this whole conversation. Neville followed Hermione and sat down next to her. "For example," she said. She pointed her wand at the boy with glasses who looked quite scared of sitting at the end of a complete stranger's wand. "_Oculus Reparo!" _It must have worked because the sellotape holding his glasses together instantly vanished and his glasses now sat perfectly on his nose.

"I'm Hermione Granger, and you are?"

"Harry Potter" said the boy still examining his glasses.

Hermione then looked at the boy who was stuffing his face full of all the food that was laying on the table. "And you are?"

"Ron. Ron Weasley" He spat food everywhere as he said this.

Hermione pulled a disgusted face "Pleasure. This is Neville Longbottom"

Both of them instantly gaped at Neville who they had been completely oblivious too during the confrontation. It took a whole minute of them staring at him for one of them to finally talk.

"The Neville Longbottom?" said Harry

Neville was getting quite annoyed that everyone was constantly calling him 'the' instead of Neville which he must say he did prefer. Neville wasn't used to this much attention and found it hard to find words.

Before he managed to say anything Hermione was back at her ranting "I've read all about you, Neville. You're in nearly every History book and Dark Wizard books. You're famous!"

"What was it like? You know, the day you defeated him" Ron blurted out before he could stop himself.

Neville never really thought about what had happened that night, he preferred not to for the obvious reasons but coming to think of it "I-I don't really know. There was erm… green, yes, there was a flash of green light and well… I…"

"I'm sure Neville does not want to talk about the most tragic day of his life on his first day of school! Can't you see it's bothering him?" Hermione was outraged. Neville thought it was funny how he thought about how much Hermione strongly reminded him of his Gran. Maybe he wouldn't be alone after all. Hermione seemed to be fascinated in Neville considering he was a boring person.

"So do you have the…" Harry hesitated

"The what?"

"The… the scar" Harry whispered as if thinking someone was listening that shouldn't be.

"Oh…" Neville lifted his fringe to reveal the small lightning scar he had got that night

"Whoa!"

"Wow!"

"Jeez!"

They all said simultaneously. Neville felt that he was a part of this group now, they seemed to accept him for who he was. It was an odd feeling for Neville considering he never really was accepted as a friend in his youth. But here he was with Hermione and Harry, oh and Ron of course but Neville really didn't think he cared he just wanted to hear action and wanted food.

What Harry said next really caught the attention of Neville "Hey, did you see the Daily Prophet yesterday? It said that there's been a second attack by the mysterious flying cloak!"

"What… another one?" Hermione asked questioningly

"Yeah, the Daily Prophet said this is the second attack in two weeks. It's starting to become a bit of a concern, don't you think"

Neville sat there thinking hard. His Gran had told him the Ministry of Magic had sorted the matter out concerning the flying cloak. Unless there was another one? It sent a chill down Neville's back as he thought about an army of Black flying cloaks attacking Hogwarts.

"That's totally barbaric!" exclaimed Hermione

"I don't understand. Who would want to attack people using flying cloaks? It seems stupid." Said Ron.

"They'll catch whoever did it though. The sick mastermind behind the whole operation. I wonder what they're trying to achieve" Hermione said looking at Neville as if he knew something about it. She raised an eyebrow questioningly and Neville told them all about what he had heard in Madam Malkin's.

"That's crazy! Why would the Ministry of Magic hide it if there was a murderous raving lunatic on the loose? They'd at least warn us. I think they have the situation under control" Hermione was sounding more and more like Neville's Gran to Neville she had said exactly the same thing.

"They didn't say anything after the first attack and now there's been a second. So if you're calling that under control you're completely out of your mind Hermione! Ron shouted.

The four of them sat in silence for a while until Hermione said "I expect we'll be arriving soon. You better changed into your robes" and she got up and left. Neville left as well realising he had to get into his robes. He quite liked Harry and he seemed to like him as well. As Neville got changed he realised he never found Trevor and it made him depressed. Trevor was his reminder of home it reminded him of Uncle Algie and all the laughs they had together. It was dark now time travelled so quickly when you have friends to talk to, Neville smiled to himself as he got into his robes.

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><p>That concludes Chapter Five of The Chosen One. In this Chapter Neville met Hermione who ultimately led to Neville meeting Harry and Ron as well he seems to get along with them so far but also finds out that there is more mystery about what the cloak thing is and what its been up to!<p>

In the next Chapter Neville and his friends will be arriving at Hogwarts in Chapter 6: The Sorting Ceremony. Will he be sorted into the same houses as his friends? Or will they all be separated? If so will this barrier shatter their friendship and will Neville be left on his own again?


	6. The Sorting Ceremony

Thank you to everyone that has reviewed my 'The Chosen One' so far. I really appreciate all feedback whether it's constructive criticism or you're giving positive feedback.

**I do NOT own the rights to the Harry Potter Franchise. J. still owns that. **For now at least.

I hope you enjoy Chapter Six of The Chosen One and feel free to leave any feedback!

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><p><span>Chapter 6:<span> The Sorting Ceremony

It was dark outside as The Hogwarts Express pulled up to Hogsmeade station. Everyone seemed to want to be the first person of the train as the corridor outside Neville's compartment filled up. Neville pushed his way into the herd of stampeding cows as the pushed towards the exit. When Neville finally managed to get off the train he found Hermione waiting for him.

"Firs'-years! Firs-years over 'ere!" boomed a voice. For someone Neville had never met before his voice sounded awfully familiar. There was a lamp bobbing over everyone's head and as it went past everyone gasped when they saw what was carrying it. Hagrid's big hairy face came into view as he towered over everyone else. He must have been about 12 feet tall and at least 3 feet wide. "C'mon, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!"

It had obviously just been raining before they arrived as the ground was damp and muddy. As all the first-years stumbled down the narrow path behind Hagrid they were buzzing with excitement within the next ten minutes they'd be inside the Hogwarts grounds. The path seemed to get steeper and steeper as they went down and everyone had to grab on to each other to stop them slipping. As they turned the corner a loud "Ooooh" echoed around them as they got their first view of the Hogwarts castle. The path had now become a huge black lake and this was all that stood between the group of young wizards and Hogwarts.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called pointing to a small fleet of boats that were sitting slightly to the left of where they were standing. Neville who was still standing next to Hermione paired up with Harrry and Ron. Neville struggled to get into the boat as Ron seemed to take up half of it himself. "Everyone in?" Shouted Hagrid who was sitting in his own boat about five feet in front of everyone else. He then yelled "FORWARD!" In an instant the boats had lurched forward and started crossing the lake to where the vast castle sat perched on top of the mountain. No seemed to want to speak, they were all staring up at the magnificent castle and its many turrets. As they edged slowly closer and closer the castle looked bigger and bigger. The boats in complete unison bumped at the other end of the lake and here they was in a small cave beneath the school.

"Oy! You there!" Hagrid growled pointing at Neville.

Fear now rose through Neville as quick as a bullet. There was a half giant standing in front of him pointing at him shouting.

"Is this yer toad?" He suddenly held out Trevor in his huge hand and Neville gave a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to get eaten by this man.

"Trevor!"

How Trevor had managed to get from Kings Cross station to under Hogwarts Castle Neville would probably never know he was just glad he had his toad back. Hagrid carried on leading the group up a flight of stone stairs to where a great, oak, wooden door stood. Everyone gathered behind Hagrid as he knocked on it. The door swung open instantly there stood an old witch wearing the brightest emerald robes Neville had ever seen. She didn't look particularly happy standing there questioningly with her stern face.

She beckoned them inside as Hagrid said "The firs'-years Professor McGonagall"

"Thank you Hagrid" She replied in what seemed like a bored voice.

As they followed Professor McGonagall inside they were wowed by how big the room was. There was a posh marble staircase at the other end leading up to the next floor. A huge double oak door that made the first door they'd seen look like a regular door. They could hear a lot of voices from the other side of these doors which Neville guessed is where the rest of the school was. Opposite the double doors was a staircase leading down to what must be the dungeons. To Neville's surprise Professor McGonagall didn't lead them to the doors but away and down the steps into a small narrow corridor. She beckoned them all into a small classroom and told them to wait there whilst she went to check something. As the lights flicked on Neville couldn't help himself but look around the room although he wished he hadn't. He saw jars filled with water that were concealing various items in there from what must have been fingernails to rat's tails.

Neville was already feeling sick but it didn't help when Ron shouted "My brother Fred said it really hurts when they sort you into your house."

"I heard you have to do some kind of test" another girl piped up from somewhere around the room. Even Hermione looked quite worried at this statement and she seemed to know everything which surprised Neville because surely she knew how the sorting ceremony happened here. After all she seemed to know everything.

When Professor McGonagall had returned Neville's insides had suddenly sky-rocketed and now he was ready to puke. She lead them back to the original hall they had been in and this time walked them across to the oak doors that now stood ajar. As they walked across the hall an old man that was standing on the marble staircase groaned at them and muttered something like "Lousy Kids." As they walked through the double doors every head seemed to turn in their direction. It made Neville feel on edge even at the high table where the teachers sat seemed to all be staring. Craning to get a good look at their new students. All of a sudden the group of first-years seemed to get closer and tighter together as if being squashed together as they stumbled along the aisle.

When they reached the top of the aisle there was three-legged stool waiting for them with an old stitched hat sitting on it. Then, as if by magic (Neville had to remind himself it was by magic) the brim of the hat curled up into what had to be a mouth and began to sing:

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_ I'll eat myself if you can find _

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The sorting hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring nerve and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise, old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means,_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (although I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

As if on cue the whole school erupted into applause as the hat came to an end. It bowed to each of the four tables in turn before returning to its original state. Professor McGonagall now walked up next to the hat holding a piece of parchment. Neville now feel relieved that all they had to do was try the hat on, but then what if Ron said was true and as it searched your head it hurt a lot. Once again Neville could not feel his legs.

"When I call your name, you will come forward place the hat on your head and sit on the stool and the Sorting Hat while decide where you ought to be. Abbott Hannah"

A small timid girl walked forward and as she placed the hat on her head. Neville couldn't help realise how beautiful she was. Her blonde hair waved over her shoulder as her skinny legs bent down to sit on the stool. Never was just thinking about her eyes when she suddenly had a dusty old hat covering them. She sat there for a few seconds before the hat's mouth was back, it screamed "HUFFLEPUFF" and the table on the right burst into applause. She took the hat off and went over to join the far table. Neville didn't think she looked like much of an outcast or a loser. It was definitely all talk that Hufflepuff was what it was said to be.

"Bones, Susan" Professor McGonagall called this time a ginger haired girl fell out of the line of first-years as she tried on the hat, it took a lot less time for Susan Bones to be sorted but the hat once again shouted "HUFFLEPUFF"

As the list carried on, Neville was getting closer and closer to being sorted. Boot, Terry became a Ravenclaw and Brocklehurst, Mandy joined him right after. Bulstrode, Milicent was quite a big girl and looked as if she'd sit on you if you crossed her. As Neville could guess she became a Slyhterin. The list kept on going with Hufflepuff gained a boy named Justin and Gryffindor got a sandy-haired boy named Seamus.

"Granger, Hermione" Neville really wanted to be in the same house as Hermione as they seemed to get on extremely well. The hat was on Hermione's head for a while struggling to decide where to place her when finally it yelled "RAVENCLAW" Neville's heart sunk as he knew there was no possibility that he was going to be in Ravenclaw. As a few more people went up and got sorted the moment Neville had been dreading was here.

"Longbottom, Neville" Neville was expecting to get laughed at when his name was called like most people did when they heard his name but instead the Great Hall suddenly became very silent. Everyone now seemed to be interested in what was happening now as they all seemed to want to know where the boy who lived was going to be placed. As Neville sat on the stool he saw that everyone was craning to get a good look at him. Then the hat fell over his eyes and all he could see was a big black void. Not only was Neville scared of the tiny voice now talking in his ear but he also knew that hundreds of people were looking at him and Neville couldn't see a single one of them.

Neville now started to concentrate on what the hat was actually saying to him "Difficult, very difficult. Many talents of every aspect of each of the houses. I see, you have courage, yes, great courage and a brilliant mind, but oh, that's blocked out, you have a thirst to prove yourself that you're not the clumsy boy everyone thinks you are. You would make a great Gryffindor but you're self-confidence says otherwise. You have a brilliant mind that jumps at Herbology but what you value most is friendship. In that case better be HUFFLEPUFF!" Neville heard the hat shout the last word out to the rest of the hall. He was a Hufflepuff, he wasn't as disappointed as he would have been before Diagon Alley but he also knew he'd be here. It felt like he'd been sitting on the stool for a couple of hours before the light of the Great Hall started burning into his eyes. The table on the far right was still applauding as Neville waddled over and sat in a seat between two older boys.

The sorting ceremony still carried on but it was now that Neville realised how hungry he was. He'd missed the food trolley on the Hogwarts Express while he had been looking for Trevor and hadn't been brave enough to ask Harry for one of his sweets. The sorting hat had now got all the way down to the surnames beginning with 'P'.

"Potter, Harry" Neville watched at Harry left Ron's side to go up to the Sorting Hat "Gryffindor" It shouted almost instantly and Harry went to join the Gryffindor table. As the final students were sorted into their houses. Professor McGonagall rolled up the piece of parchment and took the hat away. Ron was still trying to find a seat near Harry along the Gryffindor table. He and a boy named Blaise were the last to be sorted.

At the high table Dumbledore had stood up. He looked around the hall and smiled at all the new students he looked happy that another year at Hogwarts had started for him. "Welcome!" he said in an inviting voice. Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" and he sat back down.

Just as he sat down the plates spread across each of the four tables filled with all kinds of food you could imagine. From roast beef and roast chicken to Bacon and sausages. There were all kinds of potatoes and salads, vegetables and dipping sauce! Everything that Neville had ever wanted to eat was now sitting in front of him. While he was eating Neville didn't talk much mainly because of the fact that he didn't know anyone that was sitting at the Hufflepuff table. It unnerved him that everyone around him seemed to keep looking at him but when he'd look to them they'd look away without saying anything.

Just as Neville had finished his dinner and could barely eat another potato the plates were filled with all kinds of deserts cakes, donuts and even treacle tart. Neville suddenly felt hungry again as he dug into some cake. After eating all the desert Neville could it disappeared and the plates were wiped clean again.

Dumbledore got back to his feet at the high table and began to speak this time more seriously "Ahem – just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First-years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." He seemed to look at someone in particular when he said this but Neville couldn't make out who it was. "I have also been asked by our Caretaker Mr. Filch to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam. Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is strictly out of bounds to everyone that does not wish to die a very painful death." This left Neville with many questions. Why would they have something on the third-floor if they knew that students would die a most painful death? Dumbledore continued "And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song! Everyone pick your favourite tune and off we go!"

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty, Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

Everyone finished the song at different times until the two ginger twins that Neville had seen on the train were left singing to a very slow Funeral song.

As soon as they had finished Dumbledore resumed his speech "Ah, Music, a magic beyond all we do here! And now bedtime! Off you trot!

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><p>So Neville is now in Hufflepuff. Not much of a surprise as I've been hinting at it in most chapters now. In the next chapter we'll get our first look at the Hufflepuff common room and Neville's dormitory with the other first-year Hufflepuff boys. Will he get along with them? Or will he be in a constant war with them? Feel free to leave a favourite I would greatly appreciate it.<p> 


	7. The Hufflepuff Common Room

Thank you to everyone that has reviewed my 'The Chosen One' so far. I really appreciate all feedback whether it's constructive criticism or you're giving positive feedback.

Thank you snapesbxtch, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, I'll be sure to stick to at least one chapter a week for now and as long as everyone is enjoying reading my FanFic I'll be sure to enjoy writing it!

Thank you EmWts999, That was a very detailed review you wrote there. I'm so pleased that you're enjoying the FanFic so far and I appreciate you leaving a review. I love the fact that you manage to pick out the little details of my story especially the tape on Harry's glasses. I won't spoil anything yet but I will tell you that answers will come soon so if you keep reading you'll find the answer! I appreciate you taking the time to write a review and I hope you leave more soon!

**I do NOT own the rights to the Harry Potter Franchise. J. still owns that. **For now at least.

I hope you enjoy Chapter Four of The Chosen One and feel free to leave any feedback!

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><p>"First-years! First-years stay close to me!" yelled a prefect over the crowds of rushing students that were ready to get back to their dorms for the first time in over a month. As Neville pushed his way over to the prefect he caught more glimpses of the over Hufflepuff first years that were pushing in the same direction as he was. He saw a stout-looking boy with short blonde hair he was rather chubby for an eleven year old and Neville didn't remember seeing him during the sorting. Shortly behind the blonde kid was another boy heading towards the prefect that was calling all the first years. Neville remembered this one from the sorting because he went before himself. Neville roughly remembered the name Justin off the top of his head although he wasn't sure as there was so much running through his mind during the sorting ceremony that he didn't really pick anything up.<p>

As Neville reached the prefect he started to speak again "I will be showing all of you where the Hufflepuff common room is so pay attention as we walk and remember where it is as you will need to find your own way back between and after lessons. Also when we reach the common room I will be telling you how to get into it. You must remember everything I tell you in the next fifteen minutes, if not you will have no access to the dormitory." He started to walk away and the small group of Hufflepuff first-years followed. The Great Hall was now nearly empty as Neville looked around. There were a few older students still sitting along the four long tables but Neville noticed one person that he recognized, Hermione Granger. She was standing with a small group of Ravenclaws. Neville wanted to go and speak to her as she was the only person in this hall that he knew but the Hufflepuffs were now leaving the Great Hall and Neville had to follow.

The first thing Neville noticed when he left the Great Hall was they descended the stairs at the end of the hall rather than going up. One thing that Neville wasn't looking forward to was Potions class because it was underground. It horrified him to find out he would be spending most his time at Hogwarts underground. While they were walking thoughts of the last few hours ran through Neville's mind. He had been placed in Hufflepuff. What would his Gran say when she found out? Would she be disappointed? After all Longbottoms had always been placed in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw and now Neville was in Hufflepuff would this disappoint his whole family? He didn't have long to dwell on this thought as at the bottom of the staircase they took a sharp left which to Neville's relief meant that they would be only one floor underground. Along the walls of this corridor were hundreds of paintings from pictures of old wizards to knights on horses, the pictures went on forever. There was a nice, warm smell drifting through the halls as the group walked down. The prefect began to explain "Our common room is next to the kitchens. You wake up to this smell every morning before you head to breakfast. Every now and then we manage to sneak some food from the kitchens into our dorms. Its great for midnight snacks!"

As they rounded the next corner Neville saw a few barrels stacked upon one side of the corridor as they approached the smell around them got stronger. They abruptly came to a stop next to the barrels and the prefect that Neville had still not caught the name of turned around. He started a small speech that Neville was too tired to listen to and only caught snippets of what he was saying "Our common room is more commonly known as The Hufflepuff Basement... It does not require a password, instead you tap the barrel that is two from the bottom and middle of the second row in the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff"… If you tap the wrong barrel bad things will happen. So don't just don't tap the wrong one..." As his speech came to a close Neville was intrigued to get inside and see what the Hufflepuff Basement looked like. He had heard it was based on herbology, something which Neville loved so he knew this dorm was the perfect one for him. As the prefect tapped the barrel it revealed a small circular doorway, One in which you would have to crawl through. One by one everyone crawled through the barrel to see the insides of the common room.

As Neville crawled through he caught his first sight of what would be his home for the next seven years. It was a circular room with low ceiling. There were many different plants along the walls of the common room and Neville noticed there seemed to be bouncing bulbs and puffapods here and there. To Neville's relief at the top of the walls there were several round windows leading to the sun outside. You couldn't see out of them but it provided sunlight not only for Neville but for the plants too. In the center of the far wall was a painting of a woman who Neville knew was Helga Hufflepuff. The founder of Hufflepuff. Here and there scattered around the dorm were yellow and black, overstuffed sofas and chairs. Neville noticed there seemed to be many etchings of Badgers here and there throughout the common room with interesting detail. The prefect explained that the Hufflepuff common room was based on herbology because the Head of house Professor Sprout was a Herbology teacher and it pushed Hufflepuff students to be interested in it. The smell from the kitchen still wafted into the dorms of the Hufflepuff basement bringing a pleasant smell to Neville's nose. As the prefect finished showing all of the new first-years the details of the room he showed them to where they would be sleeping. Sevreal circular doors led off from the common room into dorms and the prefect pointed the boys to one door and the girls to the door to the left.

Neville and three other first-year boys took the doorway that lead to their dormitory. They ended up in another circular room, this one had four four-poster beds. They were covered in yellow and back patchwork quilts and copper lamps hung overhead casting a warm breeze over the four boys.

The boy that Neville had noticed in the Great Hall first was the first to speak out of the four boys now picking their beds "I'm Ernie, Ernie Macmillan"

The other three grunted their names in unison and Neville caught Justin Finch-Fletchley and Zacharius Smith. Justin looked extremely happy to be in Hufllepuff and wanted to get to know everyone straight away especially Neville. Whereas Zacharius really didn't seem to care and slumped on his bed.

"So, you're Neville! Neville Longbottom!" Justin yelped excitedly.

"Apparently so" Neville replied uttering a yawn.

"You're famous! And you're in Hufflepuff!"

"First in my family actually, I don't know if everyone will be as happy as you are."

"Well I know for sure, we'll all be great friends!" piped in Ernie

"I'm not sure about him though" Neville glanced at the lump that was Zacharius. This brought an end to the conversation as Neville was so tired he just wanted to go to sleep. He laid on his four-poster and rolled around for a while until he found the perfect spot and dozed off to sleep.

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><p>As the man extinguished the final flames of the campfire that he and his family had been singing songs to all night. He decided that he needed to go and get some water from the stream for the morning. He didn't need to tell his wife where he was going as it was only a five minute stroll through the woods to the stream and he'd be back before she even noticed he was gone. As he was walking he was listening to all the sounds of nature. The birds quietly chirping and the wind running through the leaves. When he arrived at the stream he knelt down and filled the small jug he had brought with him with the water. He turned around and started to head back now realising how tired he really was. He heard a crunch of a twig to his right and whirled around to see the source of the sound. There was nothing there, his heart started to race and half believing it was his wife he yelled "Honey!" When no answer returned he really started to panic. He was now running back in the direction of his camp but before long had fallen over something. As he turned to look, he realized he had fallen over a coat that was slowly gliding towards him in the wind. He uttered a laugh thinking of how stupid he was of being scared. There was nothing monstrous in this forest. It was one of the safest forests in England, but at that moment the coat grabbed him and started to wrap around his body. He started to scream and try to resist the alive coat but before long it had covered his mouth and silence filled the forest.<p>

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><p>Well there we have it, Chapter seven. It was a bit of a short one compared to the other chapters I have written recently but all the same. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be realising another one next weekend. Feel free to leave a favourite or a follow it would be greatly appreciated and please take a minute to drop a review.<p> 


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